History Recap / ParksAndRecreationS04E12

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: The episode has a scene where Chris asks Ron to lunch and Ron declines, and then GilliganCut immediately to them at lunch. Ron's next interview segment has him very confused about the time jump, and wondering if Chris drugged him.

* LongList: Leslie's positive ad has a ''very'' long one of the things she supports.

--->'''Andy:'''I think based on the redness, I might be allergic to getting stabbed by needles.

Bobby Newport, heir to the Sweetums corporation, announces his candidacy for City Council. After two days, he leads the polls by 70 points, despite the fact that he isn't very bright. Ben and Leslie attend the announcement and introduce themselves afterwards.

Andy isn't feeling well, so he and April consult Ann. They can't afford to go to the doctor, but Ann informs them that they have insurance that will pay for the visit.

Ben announces their campaign strategy: air a campaign attack ad against Bobby Newport at the Pawnee-Eagleton high school basketball game.

Chris approaches Ron to invite him to a meeting at the public works department. Ron agrees to attend when he learns that the meeting is about budget cuts.

Andy and April visit Dr. Harris. Andy has a long list of ailments, some of which Dr. Harris can fix, and he gives them referrals to specialists for the other ailments. They visit several doctors over the course of a week.

Leslie informs Ben that she doesn't like the idea of a negative ad. Ben claims that they are just stating facts about Bobby Newport, but Leslie wants the ad to state facts about her. Ben suggests they split up into teams, each one making an ad, then they will decide which is better. Leslie chooses Ann and Donna to help her with her positive ad; Jerry is assigned to help Ben. Tom's strategy is to not pick a side so he helps both teams.

Chris thanks Ron for his help and invites him to lunch. Next week he invites Ron to a Japanese tea ceremony. When Ron complains to Donna, she theorizes that he misses Ben.

Leslie plays her ad. Ben points out that her ad never states she's running for City Council. When the group watches Ben's attack ad, all of them except Leslie choose it. Ben brings the ad to the television station, but Leslie tackles him and takes the disc away. They miss out on their chance to air the ad and can't get their money back.

Leslie apologizes and says she'd rather run fake campaign ads that she made when she was 10 than use a negative ad.

April and Andy are given the bill for their hospital visit. They think the insurance will cover it, but there is a $500 deductible. Since they don't have that kind of money, they take off.

Ben makes a new ad, including footage from Leslie's childhood ad. The ad also highlights Bobby's lack of ideas. Leslie loves the ad.

Ron introduces Kyle to Chris, suggesting he take Kyle to the tea ceremony. Chris talks to Ron, letting him know that he is considering Ron as assistant city manager to replace Ben.

Leslie and Ben meet with Bobby. He wants them to stop airing their ad, stating that it is mean. He also asks Leslie to quit the campaign. When asked by Leslie, he says that he is running for office to get his dad off his back. He suggests he win the election but let Leslie do all the work. Leslie refuses and warns him that they will have a debate soon.

Leslie has a new opponent in her race for City Council: Bobby Newport, heir to the Sweetums Candy Company. Leslie is already behind in the polls, and Bobby, despite his complete lack of experience or interest in politics, is very popular.

Meanwhile, Andy has discovered he now has health insurance and decides to use it, meeting with Dr. Harris about a possible concussion. He learns he has acquired numerous ailments and injuries over the years and spends the day with April visiting several different specialists at the hospital, all the while acquiring new injuries he needs to be treated.

Chris asks for Ron's help in delivering bad budget news, which the anti-government Ron is happy to do, but he is uncomfortable when Chris asks him out to lunch afterward.

Since Bobby refuses to have a debate with Leslie, Ben decides that she should air a campaign ad during the halftime of the highly popular Pawnee vs. Eagleton high school basketball game. Leslie is uneasy about airing an attack ad as she always dreamed of running a clean campaign, but Ben says that pointing out Bobby's obvious flaws is the only way to help her poll numbers. Leslie makes a positive ad about herself while Ben makes the negative ad attacking Bobby's lack of qualifications, letting the Parks Department decide which one to air. They all vote on Ben's very effective attack ad.

Ron continues (and fails) to avoid Chris' overtures of friendship. Donna guesses that Chris misses Ben, who was his closest friend at city hall and was always the one to deliver bad news. To solve the problem, Ron introduces Chris to Kyle, but Chris reveals he was not looking for a friend: he was scouting Ron to see if he would be a good replacement for Ben's old job as Assistant City Manager. Ron says he'll consider it.

Ben is about to deliver the ad to the TV station but Leslie tackles him and they ultimately miss the window to air the spot. Leslie apologizes but says she cannot forsake her morals. Ben, however, points out to her that she has to get tougher, as the gap between her and her opponent is too big for her to be soft on. They come to a compromise, working together to make an ad highlighting Leslie's qualifications compared to Bobby's lack thereof which they post on [=YouTube=]. The ad is well received and garners the attention of Bobby, who asks Leslie to drop out of the race and throws a whiny tantrum when she refuses.

Andy is shocked that his co-pay is $500 because of all the doctors that he visited. He and April flee without paying, but Andy immediately runs into an ambulance parked outside.

* AmusingInjuries: Happens to Andy frequently in this episode.

-->'''Ben:''' Look, I really don't wanna crush your childhood dreams, but I bet in your dreams you weren't losing an election by seventy points. You need to get tougher, Leslie. You just have to.

Meanwhile, Andy has discovered he now has health insurance and decides to use it, meeting with Dr. Harris about a possible concussion. He learns he has acquired numerous ailments and injuries over the years and spends the day with April visiting several different specialists at the hospital, all the while acquiring new injuries he needs treated.

Chris asks for Ron's help in delivering bad budget news, which the anti-government Ron is happy to do, but he is uncomfortable when Chris asks him out to lunch afterwards.

Ben is about to deliver the ad to the TV station but Leslie tackles him and they ultimately miss the window to air the spot. Leslie apologizes but says she cannot forsake her morals. Ben however points out to her that she has to get tougher, as the gap between her and her opponent is too big for her to be soft on. They come to a compromise, working together to make an ad highlighting Leslie's qualifications compared to Bobby's lack thereof which they post on [=YouTube=]. The ad is well received and garners the attention of Bobby, who asks Leslie to drop out of the race and throws a whiny tantrum when she refuses.

Since Bobby refuses to have a debate with Leslie, Ben decides that she should air a campaign ad on during the halftime of the highly popular Pawnee vs. Eagleton high school basketball game. Leslie is uneasy about airing an attack ad as she always dreamed of running a clean campaign, but Ben says that pointing out Bobby's obvious flaws is the only way to help her poll numbers. Leslie makes a positive ad about herself while Ben makes the negative ad, letting the Parks Department decide which one to air. They all vote on Ben's very effective attack ad.

Since Bobby refuses to have a debate with Leslie, Ben decides that she should air a campaign ad on television during the halftime of the highly popular Pawnee vs. Eagleton high school basketball game. Leslie is uneasy about it as she always dreamed of running a clean campaign, but Ben says that pointing out Bobby's obvious flaws is the only way to help her poll numbers. Leslie decides to make a positive ad about herself while Ben makes the negative ad, letting the Parks Department decide which one to air. They all vote on Ben's very effective attack ad.

Ben is about to deliver the ad to the TV station but Leslie tackles him and they ultimately miss the window to air the spot. Leslie apologizes but says she cannot forsake her morals. Ben however convinces her she has to get tougher, as the gap between her and her opponent is too big for her to be soft on. They come to a compromise, working together to make an ad highlighting Leslie's qualifications compared to Bobby's lack thereof which they post on YouTube. The ad is well received and garners the attention of Bobby, who asks Leslie to drop out of the race and throws a whiny tantrum when she refuses.

* UpperClassTwit: Bobby Newport. When Leslie runs a mildly-negative ad against him, he asks her to stop so he can just easily win. She of course says no. This doesn't make him angry though - it just makes him ''confused''. He also has no idea how videos work.

Leslie has a new opponent in her race for City Council: Bobby Newport, heir to the Sweetums Candy Company. Leslie is already behind in the polls, and she and Ben disagree on the type of campaign ad she should run.

When April and Andy learn that they have health insurance, they visit numerous doctors for numerous ailments.

Chris starts spending a lot of time with Ron. Chris reveals that he would like Ron to take the job of assistant city manager.

* UpperClassTwit: Bobby Newport. When Leslie runs a mildly-negative ad against him, he asks her to stop so he can just easily win. She of course says no. This doesn't make him angry--it makes him ''confused''. He also has no idea how videos work.

* AbortedArc: Chris takes Ron on a series of activities that turn out to be incognito interviews for the position of Assistant City Manager. Ron seems intrigued by the opportunity to slash even more items from the budget, but at the very end of the season Ron declines the position.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: The episode has a scene where Chris asks Ron to lunch, and then cuts immediately to them at lunch. Ron's next interview segment has him very confused about the time jump, and wondering if Chris drugged him.

* UpperClassTwit: Bobby Newport. When Leslie runs a mildly-negative ad against him, he asks her to stop so he can win. She of course says no. This doesn't make him angry--it makes him ''confused''. He also has no idea how videos work.

-->'''Ben:''' Look, I really don't wanna crush your childhood dreams, but I bet in your dreams you weren't losing an election by 70 points. You need to get tougher, Leslie. You just have to.

Leslie has a new opponent in her race for City Council: Bobby Newport of the Sweetums Newports. Leslie is already behind in the polls, and she and Ben disagree on the type of campaign ad she should run.

* UpperClassTwit: Bobby Newport. When Leslie runs a mildly-negative ad against him, he asks her to stop so he can win. She of course says no. This doesn't make him angry--it makes him ''confused''.